The Worth of Concrete Countertops: Customization Rises Aesthetic Charm as well as Real Estate Investment for Homeowners

1. From top-dollar residences in the San Francisco Bay Area to stretching mountain residences in the Colorado Rockies, differentiating house owners are requiring custom-made designs and finishes in their kitchen areas. Specifically, they are seeking to express their uniqueness as well as distinctive layout choices with the rapid expanding layout material of selection-- concrete. In fact, concrete counter tops have come to be rather of a standing sign for cooking areas, rivaling granite and also other high-end counter top surface options. Customer Information Publication (August 2004) placed concrete greatest for its "modification" and "exclusivity" amongst high-end kitchen countertops. As a custom item, the amount of time as well as craftsmanship required to generate concrete countertops positions them as the most labor-intensive and most costly among leading counter top materials. Nonetheless, concrete kitchen counters are becoming extra available for those on a modest budget plan. The current do-it-yourself (DIY) pattern to mesmerize property owners and home builders is constructing your own concrete counter top. This phenomenon has actually gotten appeal mainly due to Cheng's best-selling book Concrete Countertops: Design, Types, and Completes for the New Kitchen Area as well as Bath (Taunton Press, 2002). According to Cheng, there is little monetary financial investment in making concrete counter tops, yet the innovative gains of dealing with concrete abound. THE SHOWSTOPPER Increasingly, house owners are moving far from the monotonous, manufactured appearance of standard counter top surface areas and selecting concrete for its natural, timeless allure. And also, the alternatives for personalizing concrete countertops are limitless: one can tint, polish, stamp and also stain concrete or imbed individual things like rocks, seashells and fossils into the countertop's surface, adding sentiment and also personality. Functional features such as drainpipe boards, soap recipes, as well as trivets can likewise be integrated to match the homeowners' own requirements as well as way of life. Concrete is gradually ending up being demystified as classically chilly and also commercial. In contrary, this old- time material is warm as well as surprisingly tactile; individuals can not assist but touch their smooth, sleek surfaces. Real estate representative Delight Rasmussen, that has actually recently sold her hill countertops or counter tops home-- a temporary investment residential property in Boat Springs, CO-- recounts her visitors' experiences with concrete: "When I had open homes, site visitors moved to the concrete countertops-- many individuals around right here have never seen them". Happiness's 2,265 sq. ft. hill home was personalized construct by her partner, Ken Otterman, along with KJ Otterman, head of state of Classic Special Custom Houses. They built pour-in-place concrete counters for the residence's kitchen area and 3 shower rooms by utilizing Concrete Countertops as their overview. The sand-

2. colored concrete counter tops were brightened smooth, after that paired with all-natural slate of varying colors-- like charcoal, corrosion as well as gold tones-- that develops the backsplashes in the kitchen and also bathrooms. As a design accent, little rectangular slate tiles were contributed to the edge of the restroom sinks, which gave a distinct detail to the custom-made vanities. When Joy and also Ken decided to offer their house, their financial investment in concrete counter tops showed its worth. "We were able to note your house $20,000 over market price, and also had no problems marketing it," comments Delight, while talking about the lengthy list of upgrades throughout their house, consisting of knotty ache solid doors, natural slate wall surface accents as well as wood floors. "The concrete countertops were easily the most unique and remarkable of all the coatings. I think they were a substantial component in including worth to the home. Around right here, all you see in residences are granite counter tops-- and I truly think buyers are obtaining rather numb with granite." " Concrete countertops are a distinct offering to property buyers that see the same surfaces used in residence after residence they visit," describes Happiness, offering her observation as an experienced real estate professional. "Having concrete counter tops practically gives you boasting civil liberties-- you have something various from your neighbors." BREAKING THE MOLD AND MILDEW Another benefit of concrete is its flexibility in either modern or conventional settings, specifically when coupled with various other products like varied steels, wood or rock. "Concrete adds a lot of [opportunities] to rock, and also the combination with slate, which is widely prominent right here, offers the mountain residences a total cozy, natural touch," states Delight. Delight as well as Ken have actually since developed a much larger house (4,000 sq. ft.) that uses expansive sights of the Steamboat Ski Resort as well as is implied to function as a long-term financial investment for the pair. They've additionally expanded their list of personalized finishes, consisting of hand-troweled walls, elegant oil- rubbed bronze equipment, knotty want doors that arch on top, cabinets in a natural, knotty alder, as well as their favored-- concrete kitchen counter tops. Unlike in their previous house, KJ and also his specialty crew poured charcoal-colored counter tops utilizing the pre-cast technique in the unfinished basement of the new